Osama bin Laden's Legacy: 13 Years of Terrorist Attacks
The 1998 African Embassy Bombings
"The killing of Osama has taken place nearly 13 years after the terrorist bombings in Nairobi that led to the death of over 200 people," said Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki following the news of Osama bin Laden's death. "His killing is an act of justice to those Kenyans who lost their lives and the many more who suffered injuries." On Aug. 7, 1998, a pair of truck bombs exploded at the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, acts that were eventually traced to bin Laden. It was the first time that many in the West had heard of the man or of al-Qaeda, his terrorist organization. In January 2011, a life sentence was handed to Ahmed Ghailani — the first Guantánamo Bay prisoner to receive a U.S. civilian trial — for his participation in the bombings.